NAMM 2011: 8 accessories we're excited about

19th Jan 2011 | 12:59

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Red Witch Seven Sisters range

NAMM 2011 isn’t just about new guitars and amps, there was also a whole wealth of tempting accessories, effects pedals and software on display at this year’s show. Here are eight of the ones that made us feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Red Witch Seven Sisters range

This pedal manufacturer from New Zealand seems to have caught a lot of people’s imagination at NAMM 2011 with a new range of simple stompboxes with way-hot babes drawn on them. OK, they’re more tasteful than that and the simplicity of the design suggests that they were inspired by Apple products.

That aside, Red Witch has given an RRP of $129 (approx. £80), which means these pedals fall fall within the loosely defined ‘affordable’ bracket.

For our full NAMM report check out Total Guitar issue 212 (on sale 18 February to 17 March) and keep checking the TG site for more NAMM 2011 Guitar News.

Tech 21 Roto Choir

Tech 21 Roto Choir

Know what effect you don’t hear much these days? That’s right, the old rotating speaker cabinet. New York based effects firm Tech 21 aims to change things with its latest offering, the Roto Choir. The company promises “HD, 3D emulation” by recreating the sound of both low end and treble rotating speakers and offers a Position control, which allows you to change the proximity of the virtual microphone to the virtual rotating speaker. Cool paintjob, too.

For our full NAMM report check out Total Guitar issue 212 (on sale 18 February to 17 March) and keep checking the TG site for more NAMM 2011 Guitar News.

Joe Bonamassa Signature Fuzz Face

Dunlop JBF3 Joe Bonamassa Signature Fuzz Face

Joe had a busy year in 2010: not only did he put out a new solo album, a Black Country Communion record and tour constantly, he was also working on a signature Fuzz Face pedal. Using a matched pair of much-revered NOS Russian military germanium transistors and housed in a really quite cool polished copper box, the JBF3 will see a limited, single-batch-a-year release.

For our full NAMM report check out Total Guitar issue 212 (on sale 18 February to 17 March) and keep checking the TG site for more NAMM 2011 Guitar News.

MXR Wylde Phase

MXR Wylde Phase

A limited 2011 run of Zakk Wylde’s own phaser pedal, the Wylde Phase is a pretty simple affair, offering only an on/off switch and speed control. Nevertheless, we bet it proves effective and it’s good to see the company is managing to keep up with the endless variations on Zakk’s bullseye artwork.

For our full NAMM report check out Total Guitar issue 212 (on sale 18 February to 17 March) and keep checking the TG site for more NAMM 2011 Guitar News.

Akai Pro Tri-Mode Fuzz

Akai Pro Tri-Mode Fuzz

Who doesn’t need a fuzz pedal in their lives? Akai Pro’s Tri-Mode Fuzz is part of a new range of Analog Custom Shop effects pedals, all of which are housed in extremely tasty stainless steel. The Tri-Mode name refers to a nifty mode control that offers ‘Muffy’, ‘Boost’ and ‘Warm’ tones at the flick of a switch.

For our full NAMM report check out Total Guitar issue 212 (on sale 18 February to 17 March) and keep checking the TG site for more NAMM 2011 Guitar News.

TC Electronic Hall Of Fame Reverb

TC Electronic Hall Of Fame Reverb

A comprehensive collection of 10 reverb types that doesn’t hog space on your pedalboard, TC Electronic’s Hall Of Fame Reverb houses a huge variety of reverb effects, offers stereo inputs and outputs and true bypass. On top of that, the Hall Of Fame is part of TC Electronic’s new TonePrint range, meaning it can download tones from online via its USB connection.

For our full NAMM report check out Total Guitar issue 212 (on sale 18 February to 17 March) and keep checking the TG site for more NAMM 2011 Guitar News.

MXR Custom Badass 78 Distortion

MXR Custom Badass 78 Distortion

Winner of the prize for best pedal name at NAMM (OK, we lied, but that should exist), we’re really hoping this is one of those ‘Ronseal pedals’, ie, one that does exactly what it says on the tin. Note also the ‘Crunch’ button on the top left of the pedal that MXR promises will “boost the harmonic content of the distortion”.

For our full NAMM report check out Total Guitar issue 212 (on sale 18 February to 17 March) and keep checking the TG site for more NAMM 2011 Guitar News.

AmpliTube Fender for iPad/iPhone

IK Multimedia AmpliTube Fender for iPad/iPhone

By now, we’re all growing familiar with the concept of acceptably pleasant amp simulators that you can carry around in your pocket (still, kind of amazing though, isn’t it?), but IK Multimedia seems to have created a thing of true beauty with its latest app. See it in action below.

IK Multimedia appears to be exploiting its ‘neutral’ position among the big players in the amp industry to get ahead and have unveiled a slew of big-name partnerships. This one from Fender is the first to the light of day, but new AmpliTube offerings from Orange, Soldano, Jet City, Ampeg and T.Rex and Seymour Duncan are all on their way.